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The inflammatory response is a key factor affecting tissue regeneration. Inspired by the immunomodulatory role of spermidine, an injectable double network hydrogel functionalized with spermidine (DN‐SPD) is developed, where the first and second networks are formed by dynamic imine bonds and non‐dynamic photo‐crosslinked bonds respectively. The single network hydrogel before photo‐crosslinking exhibits excellent injectability and thus can be printed and photo‐crosslinked in situ to form double network hydrogels. DN‐SPD hydrogel has demonstrated desirable mechanical properties and tissue adhesion. More importantly, an "operando" comparison of hydrogels loaded with spermidine or diethylenetriamine (DETA), a sham molecule resembling spermidine, has shown similar physical properties, but quite different biological functions. Specifically, the outcomes of 3 sets of in vivo animal experiments demonstrate that DN‐SPD hydrogel can not only reduce inflammation caused by implanted exogenous biomaterials and reactive oxygen species but also promote the polarization of macrophages toward regenerative M2 phenotype, in comparison with DN‐DETA hydrogel. Moreover, the immunoregulation by spermidine can also translate into faster and more natural healing of both acute wounds and diabetic wounds. Hence, the local administration of spermidine affords a simple but elegant approach to attenuate foreign body reactions induced by exogenous biomaterials to treat chronic refractory wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triticale (×Triticosecale) is a hybrid between wheat (Triticum spp.) and rye (Secale cereale), producing higher grain yields than wheat in challenging environments. Triticale grain is also highly nutritious. Thus, the potential of triticale grain for an expanded range of food applications should be explored. Sourdough bread has unique functional and nutritional properties, but understanding the effects of partial substitution of triticale for wheat flour and varying levels of dough moisture content on sourdough quality requires further research. The aim of this study was to evaluate the wholegrain flour of contrasting triticale cultivars in comparison to that of a common wheat cultivar in commercial sourdough breadmaking. Two triticale cultivars (Goanna and Hawkeye, selected from a panel of Australian genotypes) and one wheat cultivar (Scout) were grown in a field trial in northern NSW, Australia. Differences in quantitative texture and color parameters of the dough and sourdough bread resulting from (1) substitution of commercial wholemeal wheat flour with different proportions of wholegrain triticale or wholegrain wheat (Scout) flour (0%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%) and (2) varying the amount of water included in the dough preparation (70%, 80%, 90%, and 100 g water/100 g flour) were determined. Replacement of wholemeal wheat flour with 60% wholegrain Goanna flour (protein content 12.76%; c.f. 11.50% for Hawkeye, 12.40% for Scout), and addition of 100 g water/100 g flour in the dough preparation gave the highest quality sourdough bread based on specific volume, texture, and color parameters and had similar properties to the control made from wheat alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Wholegrain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is nutritious and gluten‐free. Despite its health benefits, the potential for wholegrain sorghum to be incorporated into a large range of food products in Western countries is yet to be realised. In this study, we developed oven‐baked sorghum‐based tortilla chips to create a healthy sugar‐free product for the snack market. Tortilla chips were made separately with flour from white sorghum (cv. Liberty) and a red sorghum (cv. Taurus), each mixed with corn flour (85:15% w/w) to give a gluten‐free product, as well as a corn‐wheat control (85:15% w/w). Three parameters for the baking process were varied: dough sheet thickness (0.95 and 1.45 mm), baking temperature (160 and 180 °C) and baking time (2 and 4 min). Physicochemical properties of the tortilla chips were then determined: moisture content, water activity, degree of puffiness, colour and texture parameters. Dough sheet thickness had significant effects on tortilla chip quality, although baking time and temperature had the greatest effects. Increasing temperature and time decreased moisture content, water activity and degree of puffiness, but increased hardness, fracturability and brownness index. Among those tested, the best conditions for preparing sorghum tortilla chips were dough sheet thickness of 0.95 mm, baking temperature of 160 °C and baking time of 4 min. The properties of the white sorghum tortilla chips were closer than the red sorghum tortilla chips to those of the corn‐wheat control. The sorghum tortilla chips developed are a healthy gluten‐free snack with favourable physiochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in K-12 education presents both opportunities and challenges for teachers and teacher educators. AI has the potential to transform teaching and learning in mathematics, science, and STEM education by fostering student-centered learning environments and streamlining routine tasks. However, there are ethical, legal, and privacy challenges that need to be addressed. The U.S. Department of Education has provided recommendations for AI implementation and research, emphasizing the importance of human oversight, aligning AI tools with educational goals, and considering equity considerations. AI can also enhance integrated STEM education by helping students design solutions to real-world challenges. Teacher preparation programs need to equip pre-service teachers with the skills necessary to navigate the AI landscape and provide guidance on ethical use. It is important to consider equity implications and ensure that AI learning is widely available to all students. Teacher educators can also utilize AI tools in instructional planning and provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to explore the benefits and drawbacks of AI. Challenges in STEM teacher preparation programs include mindset, ethics, access, power and privilege, discernment, and accuracy. Judicious decisions on the use of AI tools are essential, and critical thinking skills are needed to evaluate AI-generated information. The integration of AI into teacher preparation programs requires collaboration between researchers, teachers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to develop best practices that ensure both the power and equity of AI in education. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the importance of integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and the need for equity-focused practices in STEM. It highlights the benefits of integrated STEM education, such as applying discipline-specific content, connecting to real-world problems, increasing student engagement, and improving learning outcomes. However, the article also criticizes the current STEM status quo, which perpetuates exclusionary practices and maintains a focus on standardized tests. The article proposes four practices for high-quality integrated STEM learning experiences: critical and creative thinking, collaborative design, evidence-based communication, and recognizing real-world systems. It emphasizes the importance of providing equitable access to STEM education and the need for systemic changes and ongoing professional development to achieve this goal. [Extracted from the article]

Global population growth and an increasing demand for meat has driven the intensification of livestock production. On poultry farms, the accumulation of waste such as faeces, carcasses and unsellable eggs creates environmental and health hazards that need to be mitigated. The larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens; BSFL) offer a potential solution to the problems of waste management on poultry farms. BSFL consume large quantities of organic waste and convert it into larval biomass, which can then be processed for use as livestock feeds or biofuels. This makes BSFL an ideal candidate for value‐added waste management on chicken farms. Here, we examined the development and nutrient profile of BSFL given five different diet treatments: poultry feed (control), chicken meat, chicken egg, chicken manure and a mixture of equal parts chicken meat, egg and manure. Chicken meat, egg and mixed diets were all found to be suitable feedstocks for BSFL, but the manure‐only treatment was associated with a high failure rate of larval development. Mixing manure with other poultry waste streams ameliorated the negative impacts of manure on BSFL. Larvae reared on chicken meat, egg and the mixed diet had equal or higher mean crude protein (CP) (39.9%, 33.8% and 31.5%, respectively) and crude lipid (CL) contents (30.1%, 29.00% and 28.7%, respectively), compared with BSFL reared exclusively on chicken feed (CP: 30.9%, CL: 23.8%), demonstrating the suitability of these waste‐stream diets for the potential animal feed quality of the BSFL. We discuss how BSFL bioconversion could be implemented to address environment management issues on poultry farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early measurements of tissue viability after myocardial infarction (MI) are essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning but are challenging to obtain. Here, manganese, a calcium analogue and clinically approved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent, is used as an imaging biomarker of myocardial viability in the first hours after experimental MI. Safe Mn2+ dosing is confirmed by measuring in vitro beating rates, calcium transients, and action potentials in cardiomyocytes, and in vivo heart rates and cardiac contractility in mice. Quantitative T1 mapping‐manganese‐enhanced MRI (MEMRI) reveals elevated and increasing Mn2+ uptake in viable myocardium remote from the infarct, suggesting MEMRI offers a quantitative biomarker of cardiac inotropy. MEMRI evaluation of infarct size at 1 h, 1 and 14 days after MI quantifies myocardial viability earlier than the current gold‐standard technique, late‐gadolinium‐enhanced MRI. These data, coupled with the re‐emergence of clinical Mn2+‐based contrast agents open the possibility of using MEMRI for direct evaluation of myocardial viability early after ischemic onset in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of the tumor suppressor gene Pten in murine prostate recapitulates human carcinogenesis and causes stromal proliferation surrounding murine prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (mPIN), which is reactive to microinvasion. In turn, invasion has been shown to be regulated in part by de novo fatty acid synthesis in prostate cancer. We therefore investigated the effects of genetic ablation of Fasn on invasive potential in prostate‐specific Pten knockout mice. Combined genetic ablation of Fasn and Pten reduced the weight and volume of all the prostate lobes when compared to single knockouts. The stromal reaction to microinvasion and the cell proliferation that typically occurs in Pten knockout were largely abolished by Fasn knockout. To verify that Fasn knockout indeed results in decreased invasive potential, we show that genetic ablation and pharmacologic inhibition of FASN in prostate cancer cells significantly inhibit cellular motility and invasion. Finally, combined loss of PTEN with FASN overexpression was associated with lethality as assessed in 660 prostate cancer patients with 14.2 years of median follow‐up. Taken together, these findings show that de novo lipogenesis contributes to the aggressive phenotype induced by Pten loss in murine prostate and targeting Fasn may reduce the invasive potential of prostate cancer driven by Pten loss. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rocket Experiment for Neutral Upwelling 2 (RENU2) rocket was launched on 13 December 2015 at 07:34 UT. The payload transited the cusp region during a neutral upwelling event, supported by a comprehensive set of onboard and ground‐based instrumentation. RENU2 data highlight two important processes. One is that a proper understanding of neutral upwelling by Poleward Moving Auroral Forms (PMAFs) requires a treatment that mimics the quasiperiodic passage of a sequence of PMAFs. As a PMAF reaches a flux tube, its physical consequences must be determined including the residual history of effects from previous passages, implying that understanding such a process requires an accounting of the system hysteresis. Second, RENU2 observations suggest that neutral density enhancements driven by precipitation and/or Joule heating can be highly structured in altitude and latitude. In addition, timescales involving neutral dynamics suggest that the structuring must be slowly changing, for example, over the course of 10 to tens of minutes. Key Points: RENU2 measured particles and fields within a PMAF‐driven neutral upwelling event PMAFs consist of multiple thin arcs; poleward motion leads to a quasiperiodic heating process Neutral upwelling (driven by soft precipitation) is dynamic and highly structured in space [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To combine numerical simulations, in vitro and in vivo experiments to evaluate the feasibility of measuring diffusion exchange across the cell membrane with diffusion exchange spectroscopy (DEXSY). Methods: DEXSY acquisitions were simulated over a range of permeabilities in nerve tissue and yeast substrates. In vitro measurements were performed in a yeast substrate and in vivo measurements in mouse tumor xenograft models, all at 9.4 T. Results: Diffusion exchange was observed in simulations over a physiologically relevant range of cell permeability values. In vitro and in vivo measures also provided evidence of diffusion exchange, which was quantified with the Diffusion Exchange Index (DEI). Conclusions: Our findings provide preliminary evidence that DEXSY can be used to make in vivo measurements of diffusion exchange and cell membrane permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limb contractures are debilitating complications associated with various muscle and nervous system disorders. This report summarizes presentations at a conference at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, Illinois, on April 19-20, 2018, involving researchers and physicians from diverse disciplines who convened to discuss current clinical and preclinical understanding of contractures in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, stroke, cerebral palsy, and other conditions. Presenters described changes in muscle architecture, activation, extracellular matrix, satellite cells, and muscle fiber sarcomeric structure that accompany or predispose muscles to contracture. Participants identified ongoing and future research directions that may lead to understanding of the intersecting factors that trigger contractures. These include additional studies of changes in muscle, tendon, joint, and neuronal tissues during contracture development with imaging, molecular, and physiologic approaches. Participants identified the requirement for improved biomarkers and outcome measures to identify patients likely to develop contractures and to accurately measure efficacy of treatments currently available and under development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscle fluid is essential for the biochemistry and the biomechanics of muscle contraction. Here, we provide evidence that muscle fluid volumes undergo significant changes during 75 min of moderate intensity (2.7 ± 0.4 m/s) running. Using MRI measurements at baseline and after 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 45 and 75 min, we found that the volumes of calf muscles (quantified through average cross‐sectional area) in 18 young recreational runners increase (up to 9% in the gastrocnemii) at the beginning and decrease (below baseline levels) at later stages of running. However, the intensity of changes varied between analyzed muscles. We speculate that these changes are induced by muscle activity and dehydration‐related changes in osmotic pressure gradients between intramuscular and extramuscular spaces. These findings highlight the complex nature of muscle fluid shifts during prolonged running exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal muscle‐wasting disorder caused by genetic loss of dystrophin protein. Extracellular microRNAs (ex‐miRNAs) are putative, minimally invasive biomarkers of DMD. Specific ex‐miRNAs (e.g. miR‐1, miR‐133a, miR‐206, and miR‐483) are highly up‐regulated in the serum of DMD patients and dystrophic animal models and are restored to wild‐type levels following exon skipping‐mediated dystrophin rescue in mdx mice. As such, ex‐miRNAs are promising pharmacodynamic biomarkers of exon skipping efficacy. Here, we aimed to determine the degree to which ex‐miRNA levels reflect the underlying level of dystrophin protein expression in dystrophic muscle. Methods: Candidate ex‐miRNA biomarker levels were investigated in mdx mice in which dystrophin was restored with peptide‐PMO (PPMO) exon skipping conjugates and in mdx‐XistΔhs mice that express variable amounts of dystrophin from birth as a consequence of skewed X‐chromosome inactivation. miRNA profiling was performed in mdx‐XistΔhs mice using the FirePlex methodology and key results validated by small RNA TaqMan RT‐qPCR. The muscles from each animal model were further characterized by dystrophin western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Results: The restoration of ex‐myomiR abundance observed following PPMO treatment was not recapitulated in the high dystrophin‐expressing mdx‐XistΔhs group, despite these animals expressing similar amounts of total dystrophin protein (~37% of wild‐type levels). Instead, ex‐miRNAs were present at high levels in mdx‐XistΔhs mice regardless of dystrophin expression. PPMO‐treated muscles exhibited a uniform pattern of dystrophin localization and were devoid of regenerating fibres, whereas mdx‐XistΔhs muscles showed non‐homogeneous dystrophin staining and sporadic regenerating foci. Conclusions: Uniform dystrophin expression is required to prevent ex‐miRNA release, stabilize myofiber turnover, and attenuate pathology in dystrophic muscle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: contractile properties; forward dynamic modeling; muscle; specific tension EN contractile properties forward dynamic modeling muscle specific tension 1695 1696 2 05/17/23 20230515 NES 230515 How strong are your muscles? Before the muscle was released from its position in the thigh, the investigators attached a small buckle-type force transducer on the distal tendon and electrically stimulated the obturator nerve to elicit contraction. For muscle researchers, the "strength" of a muscle is measured as the specific tension, or the maximum contractile force (in Newtons) divided by the physiological cross-sectional area of the muscle (in centimetres squared). [Extracted from the article]

Research suggests that robotics can provide an engaging learning experience for learners with special educational needs. However, further work is required to explore the impact of robots within the classroom, particularly for learners with intellectual disabilities (ID). This paper seeks to further explore the potential effects of robots on such learners through examining engagement and goal achievement within teaching sessions. Eleven participants with ID were recruited from two countries to take part in the study using an ABAB design where the participants acted as their own controls. An appropriate learning goal for each participant was selected by the teacher and equivalent control sessions designed seeking to achieve the same learning goal but without the robot. Engagement, using eye‐gaze, learning goal achievement with and without help and goals not achieved provided the outcome measures from the sessions. This study found no significant difference between the robot and the control sessions for any of the outcome measures utilized suggesting robots are as effective as teaching tools as traditional methods. Through an increased sample size and a rigorously applied experimental protocol, this study provides new data and methodological considerations for further work based on the techniques applied in this study. Practitioner NotesWhat we already know about this topic Robots can encourage engagement in the learning process for students with intellectual disabilities.There is a lack of work examining the potential use of robots within formal learning.There is a lack of work utilizing experimental protocols to study the use of robots.What this paper adds Knowledge of the impact of robots on learner engagement using eye‐gaze as an outcome measure.Knowledge of the impact of robots on goal achievement in pursuit of structured learning objectives.Knowledge of the experimental protocol and suggestions for refinement of the outcome measures in future trials.Implications for practice and/or policy Robots can be as effective as traditional teaching methods in promoting engagement in learning for students with intellectual disabilities.Robots can be as effective as traditional teaching methods in the pursuit of learning goals for students with intellectual disabilities.The effect of robots on learning appears to be variable depending on individual learner characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continual population declines in northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) have prompted the use of population restoration techniques in conjunction with habitat management to restore their populations. We tested the site familiarity hypothesis to determine if translocation to new environments affected offspring survival and growth rates of bobwhites. We used bobwhites from north Florida and translocated them to a study site in Brunswick County, North Carolina, USA, and monitored birds during April−October 2016 and April−October 2017. We used the corral capture method and modified‐suture technique to capture and radio‐tag chicks to evaluate offspring growth and survival rates of resident and translocated bobwhites. Offspring survival varied by year and age. We did not find any difference in offspring survival rates of resident and translocated individuals, lending no support to the site familiarity hypothesis with regards to survival. Offspring of resident bobwhites did not grow at a faster rate than offspring of translocated bobwhites, indicating a lack of support for the site familiarity hypothesis in terms of physiological development. Survival, however, is a more important metric for determining post‐translocation population dynamics, and our results indicated that translocated bobwhites can reproduce and raise offspring similar to resident counterparts, but both had low survival. © 2019 The Wildlife Society. There were no differences in offspring survival rates of resident and translocated bobwhites post‐release. These results suggest that translocated bobwhites are able to successfully reproduce immediately post‐release and contribute to population growth and restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Identification of clonal IGH, IGK and IGL gene rearrangements offers diagnostic adjunct in suspected B‐cell neoplasms. However, many centres omit IGL analysis as its value is uncertain. A review of 567 cases with IGH, IGK and IGL rearrangement assessed using BIOMED‐2 assays showed clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in 54% of cases, of which 24% had a clonal IGL rearrangement. In two cases, the clonal rearrangement was detected exclusively by IGL analysis. This finding demonstrates the added value of IGL analysis for clonality assessment, especially in suspected B‐cell neoplasms in which a clonal IGH and/or IGK rearrangement is not detected or is equivocal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants belonging to the genus Taraxacum have been used in traditional healthcare to treat infectious diseases including food-borne infections. This review aims to summarize the available information on Taraxacum spp., focusing on plant cultivation, ethnomedicinal uses, bioactive phytochemicals, and antimicrobial properties. Phytochemicals present in Taraxacum spp. include sesquiterpene lactones, such as taraxacin, mongolicumin B, and taraxinic acid derivatives; triterpenoids, such as taraxasterol, taraxerol, and officinatrione; and phenolic derivatives, such as hydroxycinnamic acids (chlorogenic, chicoric, and caffeoyltartaric acids), coumarins (aesculin and cichoriin), lignans (mongolicumin A), and taraxacosides. Aqueous and organic extracts of different plant parts exhibit promising in vitro antimicrobial activity relevant for controlling fungi and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, this genus represents a potential source of bioactive phytochemicals with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. However, so far, preclinical evidence for these activities has not been fully substantiated by clinical studies. Indeed, clinical evidence for the activity of Taraxacum bioactive compounds is still scant, at least for infectious diseases, and there is limited information on oral bioavailability, pharmacological activities, and safety of Taraxacum products in humans, though their traditional uses would suggest that these plants are safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestication is a type of experimental evolution in which humans have artificially selected for specific desired traits. Selected strain animals can be utilized to identify correlated responses by comparing them to the wild strain. In particular, domestic turkeys have been selected for increased body mass and high-growth rate, most significantly over the past 60 years. Yet it remains unclear how artificial selection has affected the morphology and evolution of the musculoskeletal system as a whole. Here, we compare growth rate over 21 weeks, hind limb bone scaling across ontogeny via in vivo CT scanning, and muscle proportions in wild and domestic turkeys to identify differences in structural scaling and the potential contributions of selection and developmental plasticity to whole-organism morphology. The domestic turkeys grew at a higher rate (0.14 kg/day vs. 0.05 kg/day) and reached over 3 times the body mass of wild birds. Comparing the proportional muscle masses in adult turkeys, only the trunk had a greater mass ratio in the domestic turkey, driven solely by M. pectoralis (2.8 times larger). The proportional increase in only breast meat and no other muscles highlights the surgical precision attainable with artificial selection. The domestic turkey femur and tibiotarsus displayed increases in polar moment of area, apparently maintaining torsional strength as body mass increased. The lack of dimensional change in the more vertically held tarsometatarsus is consistent with the pattern expected due to developmental plasticity. These results from the domestic turkey emphasize that there are morphological limits to preserving the balance between growth and function, and varying rates of trait evolution can further complicate this equilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring range of motion ( ROM) is a valuable technique that can link bone morphology to joint function in both extant and extinct taxa. ROM results are commonly presented as tables or graphs of maxima and minima for each rotational degree of freedom. We investigate the interactions among three degrees of freedom using X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology ( XROMM) to measure ROM of the main hind limb joints of Helmeted Guineafowl ( Numida meleagris). By plotting each rotation on an axis, we generate three-dimensional ROM volumes or envelopes composed of hundreds of extreme joint positions for the hip, knee, and intertarsal joints. We find that the shapes of ROM volumes can be quite complex, and that the contribution of long-axis rotation is often substantial. Plotting in vivo poses from individual birds executing different behaviors shows varying use of potential rotational combinations within their ROM envelopes. XROMM can provide unprecedented high-resolution data on the spatial relationship of skeletal elements and thereby illuminate/elucidate the complex ways in which soft and hard tissues interact to produce functional joints. In joints with three rotational degrees of freedom, two-dimensional representations of ROM (flexion/extension and abduction/adduction) are incomplete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diastolic dysfunction is a sensitive early indicator of heart failure and can provide additional data to conventional measures of systolic function. Transmitral Doppler ultrasound, which measures the one-dimensional flow of blood through the mitral valve, is currently the preferred method for the measurement of diastolic function, but the measurement of the left ventricular volume changes using high-temporal-resolution cinematic magnetic resonance imaging (CINE MRI) is an alternative approach which is emerging as a potentially more robust and user-independent technique. Here, we investigated the performance of high-temporal-resolution CINE MRI and compared it with ultrasound for the detection of diastolic dysfunction in a mouse model of myocardial infarction. An in-house, high-temporal-resolution, retrospectively gated CINE sequence was developed with a temporal resolution of 1 ms. Diastolic function in mice was assessed using a custom-made, open-source reconstruction package. Early (E) and late (A) left ventricular filling phases were easily identifiable, and these measurements were compared directly with high-frequency, pulsed-wave, Doppler ultrasound measurements of mitral valve inflow. A repeatability study established that high-temporal-resolution CINE MRI and Doppler ultrasound showed comparable accuracy when measuring E/A in normal control mice. However, when applied in a mouse model of myocardial infarction, high-temporal-resolution CINE MRI indicated diastolic heart failure (E/A = 0.94 ± 0.11), whereas ultrasound falsely detected normal cardiac function (E/A = 1.21 ± 0.11). The addition of high-temporal-resolution CINE MRI to preclinical imaging studies enhances the library of sequences available to cardiac researchers and potentially identifies diastolic heart failure early in disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IgA1 proteases (IgA1P) from diverse pathogenic bacteria specifically cleave human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) at the hinge region, thereby thwarting protective host immune responses. Streptococcus pneumoniae ( S. pneumoniae) IgA1P shares no sequence conservation with serine or cysteine types of IgA1Ps or other known proteins, other than a conserved HExxH Zn-binding motif (1604-1608) found in metalloproteases. We have developed a novel expression system to produce the mature S. pneumoniae IgA1P and we have discovered that this form is both attached to the bacterial cell surface and released in its full form. Our data demonstrate that the S. pneumoniae IgA1P comprises two distinct regions that associate to form an active metalloprotease, the first such example of a metalloprotease that can be split in vitro and recombined to form an active enzyme. By capitalizing on this novel domain architecture, we show that the N-terminal region of S. pneumoniae IgA1P comprises the primary binding region for IgA1, although the C-terminal region of S. pneumoniae IgA1P is necessary for cleavage of IgA1. Our findings lend insight into the protein domain architecture of the S. pneumoniae IgA1P and function of this important virulence factor for S. pneumoniae infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During barley germination, the aleurone layer secretes most of the enzymes required to degrade the endosperm, many of which are yet to be characterized. We used activity-based protein profiling ( ABPP) to detect a range of active enzymes extracted from aleurone layers isolated from grains of a commercial malting barley variety incubated with or without gibberellic acid ( GA). Enzymes found to be induced by GA were putative aleurains, cathepsin-B-like proteases and serine hydrolases. By using an inhibitory sugar panel, a specific active retaining β-glycosidase in the barley aleurone was identified as a putative xylanase. Our results show that ABPP can be used rapidly to identify a variety of active enzyme isoforms in cereal aleurone without the need for enzyme purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Accurate measurements of muscle length changes are essential for understanding the biomechanics of musculoskeletal systems, and can provide insights into muscular work, force, and power. Muscle length has typically been measured in vivo using sonomicrometry, a method that measures distances by sending and receiving sound pulses between piezoelectric crystals. Here, we evaluate an alternative method, fluoromicrometry, which measures muscle length changes over time by tracking the three-dimensional positions of implanted, radio-opaque markers via biplanar videofluoroscopy. To determine the accuracy and precision of fluoromicrometry, we simultaneously measured length changes of an isolated muscle, the frog sartorius, in an in vitro setup using both fluoromicrometry and a servomotor. For fluoromicrometry to perfectly match the results of the servomotor, the relationship between the two measurements should be linear, with a slope of 1. Measurements of muscle shortening from fluoromicrometry and the motor were compared across 11 isotonic contractions. The precision of fluoromicrometry was ±0.09 mm, measured as the root mean square error of the regression of fluoromicrometry versus servomotor muscle lengths. Fluoromicrometry was also accurate: the mean slope of the fluoromicrometry-servomotor regressions did not differ significantly from the ideal line once off-axis motion was removed. Thus, fluoromicrometry provides a useful alternative for measuring muscle length, especially in studies of live animals, as it permits long-term marker implantation, wireless data collection, and increased spatial sampling. Fluoromicrometry can also be used with X-Ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology to simultaneously measure muscle shortening and skeletal kinematics, providing a potent new tool for biomechanics research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent changes in head and neck cancer epidemiology have created a need for improved lymph node prognostics. This article compares the prognostic value of the number of positive nodes (pN) with the value of the lymph node ratio (LNR) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) N staging in surgical patients.Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was used to identify cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas from 2004 to 2012. The sample was grouped by the AJCC N stage, LNR, and pN and was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. The sample was also analyzed by the site of the primary tumor.Results: This study identified 12,437 patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed superior prognostic ability for LNR and pN staging in comparison with AJCC staging. Patients with a pN value > 5 had the worst overall survival (5-year survival rate, 16%). Patients with oropharyngeal tumors had better outcomes for all groupings, and a pN value > 5 for oropharyngeal cancers was associated with decreased survival. Multivariate regressions demonstrated larger hazard ratios (HRs) and a lower Akaike information criterion for the pN model versus the AJCC stage and LNR models. The HRs were 1.78 (95% confidence interval, 1.62-1.95) for a pN value of 1, 2.53 (95% confidence interval, 2.32-2.75) for a pN value of 2 to 5, and 4.64 (95% confidence interval, 4.18-5.14) for a pN value > 5.Conclusions: The pN models demonstrated superior prognostic value in comparison with the LNR and AJCC N staging. Future modifications of the nodal staging system should be based on the pN with a separate system for oropharyngeal cancers. Future trials should consider examining adjuvant treatment escalation in patients with >5 lymph nodes. Cancer 2016;122:1388-1397. © 2016 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coleoptiles of rice ( Oryza sativa) seedlings grown under water commonly elongate by up to 1 mm h−1 to reach the atmosphere. We initially analysed this highly specialized phenomenon by measuring epidermal cell lengths along the coleoptile axis to determine elongation rates. This revealed a cohort of cells in the basal zone that elongated rapidly following emergence from the embryo, reaching 200 μm within 12 h. After filming coleoptiles in vivo for a day, kinematic analysis was applied. Eight time-sliced 'segments' were defined by their emergence from the embryo at four-hourly intervals, revealing a mathematically simple growth model. Each segment entering the coleoptile from the embryo elongated at a constant velocity, resulting in accelerating growth for the entire organ. Consistent with the epidermal cell lengths, relative rates of elongation (mm mm−1 h−1) were tenfold greater in the small, newly emerged basal segments than the older distal tip segments. This steep axial gradient defined two contrasting growth zones (bases versus tips) in which we measured ATP production and protein, RNA and DNA content, and analysed the global transcriptome under steady-state normoxia, hypoxia (3% O2) and anoxia. Determination of the transcriptome revealed tip-specific induction of genes encoding TCP [Teosinte Branched1 (Tb1) of maize, Cycloidea (Cyc), and Proliferating Cell Factor (Pcf)] transcription factors, RNA helicases, ribosomal proteins and proteins involved in protein folding, whilst expression of F-box domain-containing proteins in the ubiquitin E3- SCF complex (Skp, Cullin, F-box containing complex) was induced specifically in bases under low oxygen conditions. We ascribed the sustained elongation under hypoxia to hypoxia-specific responses such as controlled suppression of photosystem components and induction of RNA binding/splicing functions, indicating preferential allocation of energy to cell extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: To establish outcome rates for patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis based on vascular occlusion site.Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 225 patients who had received intravenous-rt-PA for anterior circulation strokes. The occlusion-site was prospectively determined on the admission computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and divided into: large vessel occlusion (LVO) including patients with an internal carotid artery terminus or middle cerebral artery (M1/proximal M2) occlusions and no large vessel occlusion (No-LVO; distal M2/M3/ACA) including patients with either distal or no occlusions. The primary outcome was the modified Rankin score (mRS) at 90-days with a good outcome defined by mRS of 0-2.000.Results: There were 114 (50.7%) patients in the LVO and 111 (49.3%) in the No-LVO group. A good outcome was seen in 28 (24.6%) patients in the LVO and 77 (69.4%) patients in the No-LVO group (OR .14; 95% CI: .08-.26; P < .0001). Mortality was observed in 13 (11.7%) patients in the No-LVO group and 48 (42.1%) patients in the LVO group (OR .18; 95% CI: .09-.36; P < .0001). Significant hemorrhage was seen in 14 (12.5%) patients in the LVO and 0 (0%) patients in the No-LVO group (P < .0001). Older age (OR .96; 95% CI: .93-.98; P = .002) and presence of LVO (OR .29; 95% CI: .12-.68; P = .004) were significant independent predictors of poor outcome.Conclusion: CTA identification of proximal occlusions is associated with significantly poor outcomes in patients receiving intravenous stroke thrombolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) seeds are normally waste products from pomegranate fruit processing but they are a valuable source of certain pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds. This study was performed to determine and compare the physico-chemical properties of oils of pomegranate seed extracted by cold pressing from the variety Torshe Malas Iran (TMOI) and two commercial oils from Iran (COI) and Turkey (COT). Fatty acid analysis indicated that all the oil samples had a dominant fatty acid, punicic acid, with the other prominent fatty acids being linoleic and oleic acids. The thermal behavior of the three oils was determined using differential scanning calorimetry, which gave melting points of TMOI (−12.70°C), COI (1.87°C), and COT (2.25°C). TMOI was found to have the most favorable chemical quality attributes, including a low peroxide value (4.67 meq/kg), low free fatty acid content (0.65% as punicic acid), and high total phenolic content (10.44 mg GAE/g sample), followed by COT. Analysis of flavor compounds was conducted using fast gas chromatography-surface acoustic wave technology, which allowed detection of 13 distinct aromas among the three oils. Overall, the physico-chemical properties of the three oils were superior to those of pomegranate seed oils extracted using organic solvents reported previously. Practical application: Medical applications of pomegranate seed oil are gaining increasing attention, particularly due to the health benefits of punicic acid. Pomegranate seed oil is also highly suited to specific industrial applications, such as tanning. Despite its importance, little research has been conducted on the physico-chemical properties of the oil extracted by cold press compared to conventional extraction methods and super critical CO2 extraction. This study shows that superior quality pomegranate seed oil can be extracted simply and without using organic solvents. Extraction of the highly nutritious cold-pressed oil from pomegranate seeds could enable the generation of substantial revenue for pomegranate processing factories without associated environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protease inhibitors of the serpin family are ubiquitous in the plant kingdom but relatively little is known about their biological functions in comparison with their counterparts in animals. X-ray crystal structures have provided crucial insights into animal serpin functions. The recently solved structure of AtSerpin1 from Arabidopsis thaliana, which has the highly conserved reactive center P2-P1′ Leu-Arg-Xaa (Xaa = small residue), displays both conserved and plant-specific serpin features. Sequence homology suggests that AtSerpin1 belongs to serpin Clade B, composed of intracellular mammalian serpins, which is consistent with the lack of strong evidence for secretion of serpins from plant cells. The major in vivo target protease for AtSerpin1 is the papain-like cysteine RD21 protease, a match reminiscent of the inhibition of cathepsins K, L and S by the Clade-B mammalian serpin, SCCA-1 (SERPINB3). The function of AtSerpin1 and other serpins that contain P2-P1′ Leu-Arg-Xaa (the 'LR' serpins) in plants remains unknown. However, based on its homology and interactive partners, AtSerpin1 and perhaps other serpins are likely to be involved in regulating programmed cell death or associated processes such as senescence. Abundant accumulation of serpins in seeds and their presence in phloem sap suggest additional functions in plant defense by irreversible inhibition of digestive proteases from pests or pathogens. Here we review the most recent findings in plant serpin biology, focusing on advances in describing the structure and inhibitory specificity of the LR serpins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elastic structures of many muscles include both an extramuscular free tendon as well as a sheet-like aponeurosis. An important distinguishing feature of aponeuroses is that these tendinous structures function as the attachment and insertion surfaces of muscle fascicles and therefore surround a substantial portion of the muscle belly. As a result, aponeuroses must expand both parallel (longitudinal) and perpendicular (transverse) to a muscle's line of action when contracting muscles bulge to maintain a constant volume. In this study, we use biplanar high-speed fluoroscopy to track the strain patterns of the turkey lateral gastrocnemius aponeurosis during active and passive force production in situ. We find that the behaviour of the aponeurosis during passive force production is consistent with uniaxial loading, as aponeuroses stretch only in the longitudinal direction. By contrast, our results show that aponeuroses are stretched in both longitudinal and transverse directions during active force production and that transverse strains are on average 4 times greater than longitudinal strains. Biaxial loading of aponeuroses appears to effectively modulate longitudinal stiffness, as we find the measured stiffness in the longitudinal direction varies in proportion to transverse strain. We conclude that biaxial strain during active force production distinguishes aponeuroses from free tendons and may function to dynamically modulate stiffness along the axis of muscle force production. It is likely that consideration of strains measured only in the longitudinal direction result in an underestimation of aponeurosis stiffness as well as its capacity for elastic energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black Point in wheat is a dark discoloration at the embryo end of the grain, which causes substantial financial losses to wheat growers due to down-grading of otherwise high-grade wheat. There does not appear to be a single cause for Black Point, although evidence suggests that fungal infection is the main link to Black Point symptoms. We sought to identify grain proteins from Black Point-affected and Black Point-free wheat cultivar SUN239V, which is known to be very susceptible to Black Point. The proteomes of both the germ and endosperm-bran components of Black Point-affected and Black Point-free grain were compared using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) with six replicate gels run for each protein sample. Approximately 1478 discrete protein spots were found in 2-DE gels from the germ fraction of the grain, of which 354 were identified by mass spectrometry (MS). Similarly, 1360 discrete protein spots were found from the endosperm-bran fraction, of which 303 were identified by MS. No proteins of fungal or bacterial origin were positively identified, suggesting that, at least in some cases, Black Point is not associated with microbial activity. Of the germ proteins, 252 were differentially expressed in Black Point-affected tissue, with 67 of these proteins identified by MS. Of the endosperm-bran proteins, 317 were differentially expressed in Black Point-affected tissue, with 86 identified. The largest of 12 functional classes to which the differentially abundant proteins were assigned was the ‘stress’ class, i.e. products of genes associated with stress, disease and defence. Higher levels of these proteins were found in Black Point-free grain, suggesting that protection from the disease might be afforded by increased levels of the ‘stress’ proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomegranate oil is the unique edible oil produced from the seed of the pomegranate fruit ( Punica granatum L.), which can be extracted by various methods including supercritical CO2, superheated hexane, cold pressing, microwaves and ultrasound. The oil composition of pomegranate seed has received particular attention recently due to its content of antioxidant and anticancer agents, which may be important components for the production of new medicines and cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulcular temperatures were measured on 35 clinically stable and restored osseointegrated dental implants and compared to 50 remaining natural teeth in 9 partially-edentulous adults using the Perio Temp temperature probe (ABIO-DENT, Inc., Danvers, MA USA). Replicate pen-implant sulcular measurements showed a mean difference of 0.1 ± 0.15 (SD)°C. Implant temperatures varied from 0.41 to 3.9°C below sublingual temperatures measured on each patient, and maxillary implants were significantly cooler than mandibular implants (p < 0.001, t-test). A posterior-to-anterior temperature gradient was found in both the maxilla and mandible, with anterior implants significantly cooler than posterior fixtures. No significant differences were found in sulcular temperatures of osseointegrated dental implants and natural teeth located in anatomically-equivalent oral sites. Similarly to natural teeth, sulcular temperature may serve as a valuable diagnostic tool in evaluating dental implant status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress in understanding the role of NAD(P)H oxidation in plant respiration is restricted by the lack of access to specific inhibitors of each of the unknown number of NAD(P)H dehydrogenases in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Platanetin (3,5,7,8-tetrahydroxy-6-isoprenyl flavone) is known to be an inhibitor of external NADH oxidation by plant mitochondria, while 7-iodo-acridone-4-carboxylic acid (IACA) is an inhibitor of an internal, rotenone-insensitive NAD(P)H dehydrogenase isolated from yeast mitochondria. Here we show that platanetin inhibits external NAD(P)H oxidation by intact potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Bintje) tuber mitochondria, deamino-NADH oxidation by Complex I assayed using inside-out submitochondrial particles from these mitochondria, and rotenone-insensitive NAD(P)H oxidation by these submitochondrial particles. IACA was found to inhibit the oxidation of external NADH and succinate by intact mitochondria with similar efficiency. However, IACA also inhibited NADPH and duroquinol oxidation by intact mitochondria as well as deamino-NADH and NAD(P)H oxidation by inside-out submitochondrial particles. This indicates that IACA has several sites of inhibition in the electron transport chain. The lack of specificity of both platanetin and IACA prevents these inhibitors from being used to shed more light on the identity of the NAD(P)H dehydrogenases in plant mitochondria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to address the lack of attention in the marriage therapy literature to romantic love and sexual attraction. Although most couples marry because of romantic love and tend to divorce when they "fall out of love," few guidelines are available to therapists concerning how to deal with love as an issue in therapy. In contrast to models of marriage therapy which focus on rational skill development, the model presented here is based on the assumption that marriage problems are emotional in nature and that the success of marital therapists is dependent upon skill in addressing emotional states. Based on recent findings in neurobiology, this model contends that the affective dimension of love is precognitive and similar to the attachment between infant and parent. By providing nonverbal and precognitive experiences within therapy that can alter the emotional pattern of couples, therapists can increase the likelihood of a successful outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]